is flavoured bottled water healthier than bottled pop or just the same?

Answer 1

I used to work with a nurse and asked the same question. It is better than pop bc it is water. Essentially anything we eat has water in it so you get your intake from that as well. But myself I cant stand to drink plain water so I add Crystal Light (to go-add in bottled water) to give it flavor. Or at Wal-Mart I buy flavored water and call it soda in order to get my daughter to drink it!

Answer 2

Drink tap water instead. tap water is truly better tightly regulated than bottled water in maximum first global international places. also there is the flair for cancer causing agents (chemical substances that reason maximum cancers) to infect the water from the plastic. also maximum bottled water is tap water from cities that has been filtered for the flavor. As for a way a lot to drink . . drink water even as your thirsty, or merely each and every time. that is accessible to drink to a lot water, yet you would ought to artwork flat out to get to that aspect.

Answer 3

I buy the kind that contains no sugar, no calories, no coloring, etc. Just flavored, fizzy, water. It's not healthful, but it's not as bad as pop. There are no health benefits like calcium, vitamins, nutrients, etc in either, but at least I get my fluids!

Answer 4

it's better since it has no sugar or artificial sweetener and no citric acid. It does have artificial flavourings which aren't 100 % good for ya either. I stick by pure sparkling water or fruit juice.

Answer 5

water healthier

Answer 6

Better because there is no where near as much sugar in it. which is what makes the soda so unhealthy for you.

Answer 7

Better, it doesn't have the sugar init like pop!

Answer 8

as long as it has no added sugar then yes... although plain water is better than anything... how sad that I put that!

Answer 9

healthier

Answer 10

Nutritional value
Soft drinks obtain almost 100% of their food energy in the form of refined cane sugar or corn syrup. While the USDA recommended daily allotment (RDA) of added sugars is 10 teaspoons for a 2,000-calorie diet, many soft drinks contain more than this amount. Unless fortified, it also contains little to no vitamins, minerals, fiber, protein, or other essential nutrients. Many soft drinks contain food additives such as food colouring, artificial flavouring, emulsifiers, and preservatives, which some consumers find objectionable. Some also argue that caffeine-containing soft drinks are not a valid source of dietary fluids because of the diuretic properties of caffeine; this is disputed.[3]

Soft drinks may also displace other more nutritional food choices in people's diets, such as water, milk and fruit juice.

[edit]
Studies showing a correlation between soft drinks and obesity
A study from Harvard shows that soft drinks may be responsible for the doubling of obesity in children over the last 15 years.

From 1991 and 1995, adolescent boys in the US, on average, increased their intake of soft drinks from 345 mL to 570 mL. Most soft drinks are sweetened with sugar or corn syrup, and not artificial sweeteners. Dr. David Ludwig of the Boston Children's Hospital showed that school children drinking at least eight U.S. fluid ounces (240 mL) or more of regularly sweetened drinks daily will consume 835 calories (3,500 kilojoules) more than those avoiding soft drinks; i.e., children who drink soft drinks loaded with sugar tend to eat much more food than those who avoid soft drinks. Either those taking sugared drinks lack the same restraint on foods, or sugared drinks cause a rise in insulin that makes adolescents more hungry, causing them to eat more. Soft drinks (including diet soft drinks) are also typically consumed with other high-calorie foods such as fast food. Children who drink soft drinks regularly are therefore fatter on average, in addition to being more likely to develop diabetes later in life (see below).[1]

This finding is controversial, because children in much of the Third World also consume large numbers of soft drinks with even more sugar, and do not share the same obesity rates as American children, suggesting that other factors are involved aside from sugar consumption in soft drinks.[citation needed] Suggested factors include physical activity, and the fact that American soft drinks are sweetened with high fructose corn syrup instead of cane sugar. Monosodium glutamate (MSG), which is used to enhance the sweetness of some soft drink beverages, could also play a role by stimulating appetite.

In March 2006, Pediatrics published a paper Effects of Decreasing Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption on Body Weight in Adolescents: A Randomized, Controlled Pilot Study. This suggests that reducing consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages helped reduce body mass index in the heaviest teenagers. This was reported as drinking as a single 330ml can a day of sugary drinks translated to more than 1lb of weight gain every month. [4]

[edit]
Soft drinks linked to weight gain and type 2 diabetes
In 2004, an eight-year study of 50,000 nurses showed a correlation that suggests drinking one or more sugar-sweetened beverages (such as soft drinks and fruit punches) per day increases one's risk of developing diabetes by 80% versus those who drink less than one such drink per month. This finding was independent of other lifestyle factors. It concludes, "Higher consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is associated with a greater magnitude of weight gain and an increased risk for development of type 2 diabetes in women, possibly by providing excessive calories and large amounts of rapidly absorbable sugars." [2].

[edit]
Soft drinks and teeth
A large number of soft drinks are acidic and some may have a pH of 3.0 or even lower. [3] Drinking acidic drinks over a long period of time can therefore erode the tooth enamel. Drinking through a straw is often advised by dentists as the drink is then swallowed from the back of the mouth and does not come into contact with the teeth. It has also been suggested that brushing teeth right after drinking soft drinks should be avoided as this can result in additional erosion to the teeth due to the presence of acid. [4]

[edit]
Soft drinks and sleep
According to one report, soft drinks with caffeine can disrupt children's sleep and leave them feeling tired during the day.[5]

[edit]
Banning
In recent years, debate on whether soft drink vending machines should be allowed in school has been on the rise. Proponents believe that soft drinks are a significant contributor to childhood obesity and tooth decay, and that allowing soft drink sales in schools encourages children to believe they are safe to consume in moderate to large quantities. Proponents note that children are not always mature enough to understand the consequences of their own food choices, and should not be routinely exposed to the temptation of cheap, readily available soft drinks. They also argue that schools have a responsibility to look after the health of the children in their care, and that allowing children easy access to soft drinks violates that responsibility. Opponents believe that obesity is a complex issue and soft drinks are not the only cause. Some people take the middle ground, saying that soft drink machines should be allowed in schools, but that they should not be the only option available. They propose that when soft drink vending machines are made available in school grounds, the schools should be required to provide children with a choice of alternative drinks (such as fruit juice, flavoured water and milk) at a comparable price. However, fruit drinks may contain as much sugar as the soft drinks they replace.

The American Beverage Association has produced a factsheet on sales in schools.[6].

On 3 May 2006, the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, Cadbury Schweppes, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and the American Beverage Association announced new School Beverage Guidelines that will voluntarily remove high-calorie soft drinks from all US schools.

On 19 May 2006, UK Education Secretary Alan Johnson announced new minimum nutrition standards for school food. Amongst a wide range of measures, from September 2006, school lunches will be free from fizzy drinks. Schools will also end the sale of junk food (including fizzy drinks) in vending machines and tuck shops. See the Department for Education and Skills press notice for details.

In August 2006, after a controversial new report about the presence of pesticides in soft drinks sold in India, many state governments have issued a ban of the sale of soft drinks in schools. Kerala has issued a complete ban on the sale or manufacture of soft drinks altogether. In return, the soft drink companies like Coca Cola and Pepsi have issued ads in the media regarding the safety of consumption of the drinks. Since there is yet no enforcement[citation needed] of the agreed standards by Bureau of Indian Standards, the governing body to oversee the safety levels, in soft drinks in India, it is to be seen how this situation is to be resolved.[7]

[edit]
Carcinogens in soft drinks
Main article: Benzene in soft drinks
Benzene is a known carcinogen, or cancer-causing agent. Major soft drink companies have had documentation of benzene contamination in soft drinks since at least 1990. It was originally thought that the contamination was caused by contaminated carbon dioxide, but research has shown that benzoates and ascorbic acid or erythorbic acid can react to produce benzene; see, for example, Benzene production from decarboxylation of benzoic acid in the presence of ascorbic acid and a transition-metal catalyst (Gardner & Lawrence, 1993).

In 2006, the United Kingdom Food Standards Agency published its survey of benzene levels in soft drinks, which tested 150 products and found that four contained benzene levels above the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for drinking water. The agency asked for these to be removed from sale.

The United States Food and Drug Administration released its own test results of several soft drinks and beverages containing benzoates and ascorbic or erythorbic acid. Five tested beverages contained benzene levels above the Environmental Protection Agency's recommended standard of 5 ppb. As of 2006, the FDA believes that "the levels of benzene found in soft drinks and other beverages to date do not pose a safety concern for consumers" [